


Destiny of Prey

by levrispero



Series: Destiny of Prey [1]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Crossover, F/M, M/M, Modern AU, Other, arcana meets what we do in the shadows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:40:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23624767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levrispero/pseuds/levrispero
Summary: Julian retreats to the safety of the alley after a long night bartending at The Rowdy Raven. He's not alone for long.The Arcana meets What We Do in the Shadows aka Modern AU. Written with they/them pronouns.
Relationships: Apprentice & Julian Devorak, Apprentice/Julian Devorak, Julian Devorak/Reader
Series: Destiny of Prey [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761934
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Is this 2008? Are vampires what the cool kids are into? Is this a decent title? I wouldn't know.
> 
> I hope this is more WWDITS than Twilight, but there's only one way to find out.

Julian let himself fall back against the rough brick wall, relief washing over him as the nicotine did. His eyes fluttered closed, taking a deep breath of alley air perfumed by cigarette smoke. The din of The Rowdy Raven wafted away. The irony was not lost on him, a med student indulging in one of the most obvious causes of cancer, but how else was a bartender going to get a damn break? 

The Rowdy Raven had been insufferable tonight. Which was worse, the endless barrage of bachelorette parties demanding attention or the horny 20-somethings asking for three too many shots? Honestly, they were both worse, because both left him with a pounding headache and a mess in the lavatory. If he had a dollar for every blow job shot he poured, well, he could afford to be the one ordering them.

“Got a light?” A sonorous voice crooned, sending shivers up his spine. It felt like the words had been whispered directly in his ear, but when his eyes flashed open, the person was several feet away. They were… wow. Stunning, beguiling, bewitching, and clearly aware of it. They leaned against the wall on an outstretched arm, hip cocked. Their face was composed, one raised eyebrow, as though they were barely concealing a smirk. 

Hypnotized by their searing gaze, he couldn’t bear to look away as he dug around in his pocket for his treasured lighter. Finally extracting it, his hand brushed theirs in the exchange. Despite the mild evening, their fingers were ice cold against his. A strange burst of adrenaline rushed through him, causing a blush to bloom on his sculpted cheeks. He hadn’t had jitters like that around an attractive person since… ever.

“Nice lighter, vintage,” They flicked it open and lit their cigarette, but didn’t hand it back. “The raven is a little on the nose, don’t you think? Or on the beak.” They traced their fingers over the engraved emblem and laughed. It sounded rusty, but more real, as though a peek behind the mask of sex appeal and bravado.

“What can I say, I was destined to work in this dive,” Julian chuckled. At the sound, the stranger’s smile broke through their defenses, dazzling sharp canines catching his eyes. They seemed to feel his curious eyes and quickly closed their lips. 

“But really, it was my grandmother’s. She had a pet raven. Well, not really a pet. It wasn’t in a cage or anything. But she fed it everyday and sometimes it brought her little trinkets.” The stranger listened intently, only encouraging his babbling.

“Once, my sister’s shithole ex came by the house to harass her into getting back together. Before I could intervene, Malak swept in out of nowhere. Damn near pecked his eyes out, or so he claimed. It sounds crazy, but… I swear I still see that same raven everywhere I go.” 

“Sorry, I’m talking your ear off! There’s just something about you…” He flashed a dastardly smile. Flinging an arm out, he gestured to the dumpsters and grungy buildings. “Maybe it’s destiny we met. And in such a romantic vista too.”

“Destiny, or fate?” The silky smooth voice was back. Their intense gaze became clouded and they stepped closer, inches away now. “They’re not the same, you know. Destiny is a lifelong promise, a reassurance that all of your wildest dreams will come true. A guarantee you will be the happy hero, no matter what obstacles cross your path. You aspire to be more than this, but is it the will of the gods?”

They pressed ever closer, their eyes blown almost black. “Fate haunts you. It lurks in the shadows, tracking your every move. It lies in weight until the right cosmic moment and it strikes, inescapable. You beg for mercy, desperately wondering which moves brought your condemnation.”

“So, which is it? Am I your mysterious Destiny, promising you the world and leaving you wanting? Or am I Fate, finally cornering my prey?” Julian gulped as their breath ghosted over his lips. His response flew out, soft but sure.

“Both.”

They gripped the collar of his jacket and roughly tugged, pulling him to their level before capturing his lips in a hungry kiss. No, they were ravenous as their lips moved with his. Julian wrapped his arms around them, urgently running his hands over their back and hips. He grasped at them desperately; never close enough.

It was as though they read his mind when they forcefully pressed against him, pinning him to the wall with their body. A hand snaked into his hair and tugged sharply, eliciting a wanton groan. The replying snarl was practically feral as they ground their thigh between his.

The stranger broke the kiss, to the sorrow and relief of Julian. As he gasped for air, they moved on to press fervent kisses across his neck. He angled and stretched to give them more access, clutching harder at their hips. A tiny nip at his jugular sent shockwaves to his very core. His fingers dug in deeper into rigid muscle. He loudly moaned again, unconcerned with who might hear.

“If you’re worried about marking me, don’t be. You don’t have to be gentle…”

They faltered for a moment. The kisses slowed, becoming intentional and firm. They ran their tongue over the muscle of his neck before choosing a delectable spot. They lavished the mark with kisses and kneaded the skin with their sharp teeth. Their body pressed into his, trying to get even closer. Like Julian they needed more, more, more.

“Yess, that’s it. Give me something to remember you by…”

Another moan of pleasure warbled and evolved into a shriek of excruciating pain as they sunk their dagger-like canines into him, more than breaking the skin. A joke about safe words faded from his lips as realization washed over the panic: they were drinking. Julian struck out, haphazard fists barely making contact, but the was stranger was unyielding as stone. His vision swam and blurred before he lost consciousness entirely.

Julian awoke to a concerned coworker, shaking him roughly. “Julian?! Wake up, what’s wrong with you?” He grunted in response, but allowed the other man to help him to his feet.

“I can’t believe you slept through the rest of your shift in the alley. I don’t care how many shots those groomsmen bought you, this is a new low.” Julian sagged against the wall struggling to raise a heavy, numb hand to his neck. Thanks to his curse, the only evidence of the night was a trace of grimy dried blood and two miniscule indentations under his jaw. Even the aches and pains from healing were fading. Despite feeling like shit, he couldn’t help but let out a breathy chuckle. Statistically, it was about time one of these alley hookups got him killed.

On the bus ride back to his apartment, Julian’s mind kept wandering back to the enigmatic stranger. He knew he wasn’t imagining the voracity of their bites. And it wasn’t the first time someone had bitten him so hard he’d bled. Definitely wasn’t the first time he had enjoyed it. But the drinking was new. Vampiric. The word made him feel so stupid. He must still be recovering, sleep deprived, something, to be thinking like a teenage girl. ‘Kinky goth. That’s all.’ He told himself firmly, stifling the arousal and reckless hope that he’d see them again, straw in hand.

They softly closed the door to their house, leaning their head against the worn wood. That certainly wasn’t the simple food run they had planned. Their clothes were saturated with blood and stained from attempting to clean up their royal mess. Regrettable, the shirt was a favorite. They didn’t know how they had saved him. It was hard enough to stop oneself during a meal, let alone keep the entrée from bleeding out.

A more troubling question was why they had saved him. Maybe it was his charming story, or that he had made them laugh. Hell, maybe just because he was hot. It was beyond risky; dead or alive it would bring attention to leave him in the alley. Maybe if they had brought him home, kept him close until the problem could be hypnotized away. But a wriggling thought at the back of their mind whispered that they wouldn’t have been able to give him up. Absentmindedly, they ran their thumb over the worn silver souvenir in their pocket. The burn was pleasantly satisfying, like its previous owner.

They refused to admit it, but contrary to their speech about destiny and fate, they hadn’t been stalking that bar. They weren’t targeting him or even all that hungry. At least, not hungry for blood. It was a chance encounter, but by whose design?

“You’re home late, I thought you were destined for a dust pan!” Asra cheerfully called out from the top of the stairs. “You’re such a picky eater." Turning to their mentor, the vampire that had transformed them, they smiled softly. “What can I say, I have champagne taste.”

“In a town with citizens full of beer!” He chortled. “By the way, you reek. Wash up and come to bed?” With a laugh, they headed up the creaky stairs, eager for an escape into dreamless sleep.

They really should have known better than to play with their food.


	2. Chapter 2

Julian tossed and turned, desperately willing the gnawing ache to leave him. He hadn’t slept properly in days; not even his skewed version of “properly”. But his mind kept wandering back to the feel of their teeth scraping his delicate neck. The rough brick wall digging sharply into his back. Of all his kinky exploits over the years, the pain play, the overstimulation, and the less-than-discreet public locations—none had left him feeling this needy and raw.

The cloying coverage of the sheets only reminded him of the decadent feeling of their thigh rubbing against him, separated by far too many layers of clothing. The rough friction of denim on denim. He groaned and kicked the fabric off and away. It did little good; even the warm breeze from the open window stimulated him.

Unless he did something about the situation soon, he’d be plagued all night. He ran his palm delicately up his length. Despite his exhaustion, it responded eagerly, grateful for the contact. Lightly, he continued stroking up and down. Painfully slow, careful, teasing.

Julian growled low in his throat; it wasn’t right. Too sweet, they wouldn’t be sweet with him. He didn’t want gentle caresses, not tonight at least. Clawing his nails up his thighs, he spread them apart. One hand continued its journey upward, dragging over his hipbones and his flinching abdomen. It found purchase on a hardening nipple, trapping it in a vicious pinch that made him gasp.

He imagined their dark gaze, pupils blown black. They’d _hungrily_ watch him grow more and more desperate. Maybe they’d tie his hands to the headboard, maybe even complex shibari… trussed and tethered like game. Circle the bed, cornering him. Whispering in his ear, telling him exactly what they intended to do with him. A voice like theirs could bring you to your knees. He certainly would have fallen to them that night, eagerly. To touch them would be a divine gift. Gods, would he have to beg?

Their lips too, were enough to drive him mad. They would devour him, nip and nibble until he was teased and taut with arousal. There was no comparison to the exquisite pain as their _fangs_ sank in. He longed for them to sink into secret places, along the sharp lines of his hipbones, the delicate flesh of his inner thigh, cheekily in the center of his ass. For them to mark their territory and remind him of whom he belonged to.

He couldn’t forget the obscene sucking sound next to his ear. He couldn’t help but imagine how those lips would feel around his cock. Would they moan as lewdly as they had when they devoured him?

Julian tightened his grip, bucking his hips furiously against his own strokes. Somewhere far off he heard his own wanton groan, drowned out in the cacophony of blood rushing in his ears and echoing imagination of their dulcet tones, bidding him to come.

He panted, chest heaving with his release. Though the relief that washed over him was exquisite, a trace of the tension remained coiled deep in his belly. He craved the pain, the danger, and their hypnotic gaze, but his imagination could not compare to their all-consuming aura. With a resigned sigh, he rolled to his side to cuddle the pillow next to him. Secretly, he felt a shadow of disappointment that no one was there to play with his hair as he faded into sleep.

All he could do was pray to gods that he would see them again soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't able to get my head around the next chapter of my other work, so I tried my hand at something a little smuttier (pun absolutely intended). Feeling cute might delete later?

**Author's Note:**

> I might make a full modern vampire au series. Someone, stop these cursed hands from creating a monster. Please.


End file.
